The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-05-11
FURNISHING THE PRISONERS.
Two Methods In use-HangIng Men Up BY tine
Wrists Horrors Of the Dark Cell.


Wrists Horrors Of the Dark Cell.
A visitor going through Sing Sing
prison is struck by u square room
comparatively small for that place.
which has d cleaner and brighter ap.
pearance than any other room in the
entire institution, the chaplain's Of
flee not excepted. The entrance is on
a level with the ground, the entire CEN
ter is taken up by framework OF
brick that is followed out on two sides
into cells and the entire place is as
white as lime can make it. The flag
ged corridor running around the cells
isspotless, and the place is as quiet asa
tomb. The cells are perfectly bare OF
furniture, and are, for the greater
part OF the time, empty. They are
doubly guarded, foy besides the usual
heavy grated door they have door
made OF heavy planks that sets in
close to the masonry. They are
in striking contrast to the walls,
for they ara painted black. A raised
section of wood work in the center OF
them admiLa air into the cell through
winding channels through which not
even the faintest ray oflight can force
its way. As cheerful as the place looks
to the visitor, it ~ q bugbear to the
prisoners, for these are the dark cells.
This is one Of the two forms OF pun
ishment inflict ed upon refractory pris-
oners in Sing Sing, and it is punish
ment so horri Ole that the mere threat
OF o dark cell carries with it more ter
rors than the actual inilction OF the
other punishment, which consists in
strnging up prisoners by the wrists.
The apparatus for this is in the same
building, and consists OF a piece OF
heavy timber about eighteen inches
square that slides up and down IN
groove. In the centre OF the square is
a hook. The victim is handcuffed,
and the link connecting the cuffs is
slipped over this hook, and then the
block is raised up until the prisoners
feet leave the floor. This point isgen-
orally signaled by a scream from the
unhappy wretch who is suspended,
Principal Keeper Connaughton said,
not more than fifteen or twenty sec
onds.
81 have seen statements to the ell
feet" said he, chat blood frequently
gushes from the wrist OF prisoners
punished this way; that it often Grip
Piles them for life; that prisoners are
hung up for five and ten minutes, and
that the punishment is frequently in
flcted. None of these statements are
true. In the first place, no living
could stand being strung up as long a
time as that. The punishment is not
inflicted here once month, and dur
ing my long experience in prison Ihave
never known OF blood being forced
through the skin by the pressure.
A short time ago party Of
visitors were shown through here.
One OF them was young
man about twenty-one years OF age.
He had an idea that men were hung
up by their wrists for hours at IL
time. When | told him that the pun
ishment never lasted but few seconds
he was not inclined to believe it. |
sent for a pair OF handouts, and he
consented to let me hang him up for a
few seconds. Just as soon as the
strain began he cried out, and his toes
had scarcely left the ground before he
was imporing me to let him down.
There was faint red line around his
wrists, and that was all"
As terrible as this punishment is 1t
is nothing compared to the agonies suf-
iered by prisoner who is locked up
in n dark cell. A young fellow was
taken to Sing Sing about year ago
to serve q five years sentence. He
began his term OF imprisonment by
disobeying every order given him by
thekeepers. He was reasoned with and
efforts were made to show him that
he was hurting nobody as much as he
was hurting himself. But he was both
lazy and vicious, and he was strung
up by tine wrists. The punishment
kept him straight for n few days; but
it was found necessary to string him
up again. The second punishment
seemed to have no effect, and then he
was placed in n dark cell. At the ex'
piration OF a few hours the door was
opened, and the young man rushed
out with a face as pale as death, and
shaking in every limb. He behaved
himself for a week, and then fell into
his old ways again.
L think | shall have to put you in
the da.N cell again." said Mr.. Con-
naughtou to him.
"0h, don't do that" he pleaded:
"Please string me up; that isn't hall
so frightful."
Thereafter the mere mention OF the